Marcos confident troops will continue to abide by Constitution —Palace

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. is confident that the Philippine military would continue to abide by the Constitution, Malacañang said on Tuesday. 

During a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro was asked how ''solid'' the Armed Forces of the Philippines is amid issues of corruption. 

''May tiwala ang Pangulo sa ating mga kasundaluhan na sila po ay mananatiling matatag, at ang kanila lamang pong ipasusunod ay kung ano ang sinasabi ng Konstitusyon,'' Castro said.

(The President trusts that our soldiers will continue to be firm and that they will abide by the Constitution.) 

''At lahat naman po tayo, hindi lamang po ang kasundaluhan, ang galit sa korapsyon. So, atin pong igagalang ang kanilang mga mensahe dahil hindi po lahat ng tao ay gugustuhin na manakawan ang pondo ng bayan,'' she added. 

(All of us, not just the soldiers, are angry with corruption. So, we respect their sentiments because not everyone will allow this stealing of public funds.) 

'Stable, Solid'

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday also said that the military is still stable despite claims of an alleged unstable government under the Marcos administration.

“Buo po ang inyong Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas,” AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said in a press briefing.

(The Armed Forces of the Philippines is intact.)

“Kami po ay solid and disciplined organization, and we remain professional through all of this. Our loyalties remain to the Constitution and to the flag,” she added.

(We are a solid and disciplined organization, and we remain professional through all of this. Our loyalties remain to the Constitution and to the flag.)

“Our focus is locked on our mission, and that is to protect the people and secure the state,” she added.

Padilla also called disinformation the reports that there was an alleged plot among the military against the Marcos administration.

AFP senior official Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, who serves as Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS), meanwhile, warned the public against supposed retired officers who are calling for an armed rebellion.

“We would like to warn the public to be wary, to be cautious of retired officers who are calling for armed rebellion on the false, on the wrong premise that the AFP could not perform its mandate,” Trinidad said.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. also pointed out the military is not the solution to everything, considering that the problem was political corruption.

“Ang military hindi solusyon sa lahat ng bagay, lalong lalo na kung ang problema ay political corruption. Ang solution dyan ay political solutions. At sa corruption, may makulong,” Teodoro said in a separate interview with the press.

(The military is not the solution to everything, especially when the problem is political corruption. The solutions there are political solutions. And for corruption, there should be imprisonment.)

“Kailangan credible ang investigation at ang perception ng taong bayan ay ito'y walang pinapanigan, walang pinagtatakpan. Ngayon, ito ay so that there will be political stability,” he added.

(The investigation needs to be credible, and the perception of the people is that it is not biased and that there is no cover-up. Now, this is so that there will be political stability.)

Teodoro also affirmed that the AFP remains “stable” despite the statement of Vice President Sara Duterte that the Marcos government is no longer stable amid allegations of corruption where several lawmakers were being implicated. 

The DND chief also maintained that no one in the AFP is planning any coup against Marcos.

“Credibility issue ito at seryoso ang Presidente dito. So politically, may political problems, hindi naman natin tinatanggi ‘yun eh. So politika din ang solusyon. May corruption problems, judicial ang solusyon at prosecutorial,” Teodoro said in an ambush interview at the Senate. 

(This is a credibility issue and the President is serious about this. So politically, there are political problems, we are not denying that. So the solution is also political. If there are corruption problems, the solution is judicial and prosecutorial.) 

Earlier, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) described rumors of destabilization and an alleged coup against Marcos as a baseless and unfounded "malicious narrative."

The AFP emphasized that the military is loyal to the Constitution and to the Filipino people.
AFP Public Affairs Office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad also assured the public that the military would stick with its constitutional mandate. —with reports from Joviland Rita and Giselle Ombay/ VAL, GMA Integrated News